1. Donkey Kong dad

When Mike Mika's three-year-old daughter Ellis played Donkey Kong, she asked her dad why she couldn't play as Pauline to rescue Mario, instead of the other way around. The game didn't offer that option, which Mika had to explain to the bummed-out toddler.

However, Mika, game designer and chief creative officer at Other Ocean Interactive, decided to hack the game's code to make his daughter's dream come true. He succeeded and told Wired that his daughter genuinely enjoyed the game more once she could play as Pauline.

2. Pancake dad

A 'Star Wars' themed platter of pancakes created by Washington dad Nathan Shields.

Washington-based illustrator and math teacher Nathan Shields likes to have fun with his food. The creative dad made pancakes for his two kids, Gryphon and Alice, every morning, when he decided to start experimenting.

For the past two years, he's been whipping up all kinds of artsy pancake sculptures. His creations include Star Wars and Nintendo characters, and all kinds of animals. His blog, Saipancakes, shows off even more whimsical platters.

3. Samuel L. Jackson

As one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, SLJ has been in a slew of famous flicks, from Pulp Fiction to Star Wars to Iron Man to The Avengers. You can't help but love the 63-year-old star, who also has a daughter named Zoe.

However, he lands on this list for narrating the hilarious mock children's book Go the F*ck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach, every tired parent's favorite book on the bedtime struggle. It brings together two of Jackson's great loves: fatherhood and the F word.

4. East River dad

On April 3, 2010, David Anderson was enjoying a day at the South Street Seaport in New York with his wife and two children. They were on a docked boat, when somehow two-year-old daughter Bridgette fell and plunged 20 feet into the freezing East River. Anderson immediately jumped into action, racing to the pier.

"He jumped in like a scene out of a movie," said witness Eric Stringer. "He was pulling things out of his pockets as he was running down the steps. He didn't hesitate."

Anderson retrieved his daughter and pulled her back to the pier, with the help of another man who jumped in to help.

5. Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks is generally considered an awesome dude, but there are plenty of reasons the movie star is a hilarious father to include on our list.

For one, the two-time Oscar winner and father of four is basically an American treasure, thanks to films like Forrest Gump and the Toy Story series (he voices the character Woody). He's shown off his hilarious side with late-night sketches and absurd fan photos.

But sealing the deal is a Reddit AMA his youngest son, 16-year-old Truman, conducted, candidly answering all kinds of questions about his famous dad and assuring fans everywhere that Hanks did his best to make sure his kids didn't become spoiled brats.

6. Surprise! Soldier dads

Soldiers are heroes on their own, but dad soldiers are a different breed. There are almost too many viral videos to count of soldier dads who have been overseas for months or years, only to come home and surprise their children at special events. Here are a few tearjerkers to choose from:

7. Ziauddin Yousafzai

The father of young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was faced with difficult choices. The educator, who grew up with five sisters, raised his family in Swat Valley, a Taliban-ruled area that forbade girls from going to school.

After seeing how his sisters were treated growing up, Yousafzai eschewed those rules, keeping Malala in school anyway. When the BBC reached out to him in 2009 to ask if any students would be willing to blog about life under Taliban rule, he nominated Malala.

With her dad's support, she became an outspoken activist for equal rights. However, it came with a price in 2012, when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her way to school. While she recovered in an English hospital, the story propelled Malala to worldwide recognition, giving her a wider platform as an activist, along with two Nobel Peace Prize nominations.

Back home in Pakistan, Ziauddin says he's regarded as a coward for giving his daughter so much freedom. But if his daughter's accolades are any indication, he might have been right all along.

8. Detroit dad

David Adams lived in a quiet Detroit neighborhood with his girlfriend, Albena Mensai, and four children. However, in 2010, that quietude was shattered when a gunman opened fire in the area with an AK-47.

Mensai had been sitting on the porch with Joseph, Adams' developmentally disabled 13-year-old son. As soon as he heard gunshots, Adams rushed out to the porch and used his body as a shield to protect his son. Joseph survived because his father was fatally hit by two bullets.

9. Special effects dad

Like any dad, Daniel Hashimoto likes to make fun home videos of his three-year-old son, James. However, Hashimoto is an after effects artist for DreamWorks Studios, which means his home videos are packed with awesome special effects that turn his son into a Jedi, Batman or Spiderman.

10. Neil Patrick Harris

Whether he's making us laugh on How I Met Your Mother, winning Tony awards or geeking out as Dr. Horrible, NPH has his hands full. His personal life also expanded in 2011, when he and partner David Burtka welcomed twins Harper Grace and Gideon Scott, born via surrogate.

Since then, Harris and Burtka have become very public faces of same-sex couples raising children in a country where marriage equality and same sex adoption are still huge issues.

The theatrical dad takes it in stride, opening up about the struggles of parenthood and constantly posting adorable family shots on his social media accounts. Just look at how the family dressed on Halloween last year:

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